Electronic components have become ubiquitous in modern society. The electronics industry routinely announces accelerated clocking speeds, higher transmission frequencies, and smaller integrated circuit modules. While there are a myriad of benefits to these devices, smaller electronic components that operate at higher frequencies also create problems. Higher operating frequencies mean shorter wavelengths, where shorter conductive elements within electronic circuitry may act as antennas to unintentionally broadcast electromagnetic emissions throughout the electromagnetic spectrum. If the signal strengths of the emissions are high enough, the emissions may interfere with the operation of an electronic component subjected to the emissions. Further, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other regulatory agencies regulate these emissions, and as such, these emissions must be kept within regulatory requirements.
One way to reduce emissions is to form a shield around the modules. Typically, a shield is formed from a grounded conductive structure that covers a module or a portion thereof. When emissions from electronic components within the shield strike the interior surface of the shield, the electromagnetic emissions are electrically shorted through the grounded conductive structure that forms the shield, thereby reducing emissions. Likewise, when external emissions from outside the shield strike the exterior surface of the shield, a similar electrical short occurs, and the electronic components in the module do not experience the emissions.
Electronic components within these shielded electronic modules may be attached on a surface of a substrate. To form connections to electronic circuits within or outside of the shielded electronic module, the surface of the substrate may include conductive pads, which are wired within the substrate or on the substrate surface to provide the necessary connections. Wire bonds are often utilized to couple these electronic components to the conductive pads. Unfortunately, wire bonds extend above the electronic components and are spatially inefficient. Since wire bonds create electromagnetic emissions and may also be affected by external electromagnetic emissions, these wire bonds need to be shielded by the shielded electronic module as well. Thus, these wire bonds require an increase the size of the shielded electronic module. In particular, the wire bonds require an increase in the height of the electromagnetic shield above the substrate surface. However, it is often desirable that these shielded electronic modules be as small as possible to minimize the space consumed by the shielded electronic module. Thus, what is needed is a shielded electronic module that connects the electronic component to the conductive pads in a spatially efficient manner.